first time Quilter

[jeffrey bennett]

Me and my son are going to make a climashield xp 5oz Momentum 0.9 oz Quilt. 53 head40 foot78 to 80 length. This will be our first quilt to use and make. I have been reading I lot of old posts (untill my head spun around once or twice) and think I have a good idea of what we are getting ourselfs into. I plan on purchasing my material from thru-hiker.
Questions
Since I am making it longer than 72" I need to buy 3 yards of matetrials. So I thought I would buy 5 yards(180") of the momentum and use it as both the inner and outer fabric. Is this okay? Should I get the Taffeta or the rip stop.
If I use 2 different fabric I have to buy 3 yards of each. So the cost is a wash unless I just use the 1.1 oz Nylon Ripstop . Then it is only a 17 dollar differnce.
What thread should I use. Thruhiker has the Hydrophobe 100% Polyester Thread with Anti-Wicking Finish for 13.95 per cone.
My sewing machine is an old portable singer. It needs a little work but that will be part of the fun.
Thanks for any help.

[John Tyberg]

I made a down quilt with momentum and I really really prefer the momentum. So I'd advise doing the whole thing in that. It's a much nicer texture for a blanket. I like 1.1 ripstop for packs and tarps, but not against the skin.

[Tim Marshall]

purchasing 5yds is the way to go. Momentum is very nice, but i have used 1.1rip in all my quilts. The only time i wished i had used momentum was when i was pushing my quilt to the bottom of its temp range and it was windy. The momentum blocks wind much better. And yes it feels nicer too. Go with the ripstop if you are buying the 5yd route. You might be able to speak to AYCE about order 2.5yds of each color. I bet if your order 5yds of momentum rip and in the comments section ask for 2.5yds of 2 diff colors he'd do it in a heart beat. He's very good to work with.

i use guttermond 100% polyester thread for all my quilts, you can get it for a few dollars for a couple hundred yds (at local craft stores, which is very nice). I'm sure AYCE's thread is great though, but that's a lot of thread unless you plan to make a ton of stuff it might be overkill.

-Tim

[jeffrey bennett]

Thanks for the help. I think I am going to go with the 5 yrds of the 1.1 ripstop. Since this is my first quilt and I am on a budget and it will save about $40 bucks. If I like quilts I can always make another! I have not decided if I am going to use a zipper like Tims quilts or the draw cord set up. What do you guys think.

Tim. Nice web site.

[jeffrey bennett]

Okay I already hit my first bump in the road. Took the singer into a repair shop and they want $90.00 for a tune up. It needs a belt ,needle and just a good clean up. While I was there the lady helping me showed me a Threadbanger machine she had for $200. I told her I did not want to spend that much on a machine. Then she offers it to me for $130 if I trade in my old singer. The threadbanger does all the different kind of thread patterns verses the only one pattern of the singer. Do I need different thread paterns. Is the threadbanger worth the money. I don't have the model number of the singer (at work now)but it seems to be a pre 1930s model. Atleast when I look on ebay that what it looks like. Thanks for any help. Jeff

[Tim Marshall]

my quilts use zipper to close the vertical part of the footbox and a drawcord closes the horizontal part.

Don't need lots of stitch options, just straight and zigzag. I know nothing of the machine in question, but if the shop thinks is ok it probably is as gear is not that hard on a machine (i mean UL gear, not heavy corduras and such) For $40 it might be nice to have the new machine. Again i know nothing of this model or brand.

-Tim

[Brad Groves]

I'd be hesitant to take the deal… those old Singers can usually sew through just about anything, great machines. My guess is that the shop would get a better deal than you if you traded. Old school sewing machine vs. new? New one probably can't hold a candle to the old. No, you don't need different stitch patterns.

You're going to need to know how to switch needles anyhow, cleaning it shouldn't be too big a deal, and my guess is that the belt is pretty cheap. Might be worth it to swap the belt yourself and see what happens.

Push comes to shove, you can pick up an el cheapo machine for a hundred bucks at most big box stores. Use that to make some stuff, see if you need to upgrade the machine later.

[Joe Clement]

Old machines are great. I have a 1950s model Pfaff, and it will sew thru anything, I think. I sewed some canvas for our boat once, and it did 5-6 layers of Sunbrella easily. I'd get the Singer tuned up.

[David Drake]

I'm new to MYOG, but have sewn casually for a long time. IMO, sewing machines are one area where light=cheap=stay away. I don't know anything about the machine you are considering, but a good machine will have all metal gearing, and will be pretty heavy. Older ones (and new high-end) will also have metal housings, and weigh even more. Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking and Bernina are all excellent– expensive new, but sometimes you can find an old one at a thrift store for next to nothing.

I have an old Necchi-National I bought for $10, that I use when I don't want to abuse my wife's machine. The only features I really care about are adjustable straight and zig-zag stitches and ability to easily backstitch (usually by pressing a button or lever–sometimes very old machines don't have this). Free arm is also nice, and a buttonhole stitch saves time. If the machine has accessories available that make flat felled seems and parallel rows of stitching easier, I can see how that would be helpful for MYOG, but I'm just guessing.

I'm planning on doing a quilt myself soon–these forums have been great , especially Tim Marshall's comments and gear pics.

Thanks for starting the new thread.

[jeffrey bennett]

A friend is going to sale me a old singer in running order for 25.00. So I am good to go. Thanks for the help.

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